Final Fantasy 9 Animated Series First Look Coming Soon
Last year, first details were revealed about an animated series based on Final Fantasy IX. The series is being co-developed and co-produced by Cyber Group Studios, but we haven't actually seen anything from the series. That will change at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, which is being held from May 24th through the 26th. In an interview with Animation Magazine, Bruno Danzel d'Aumont listed Final Fantasy IX as one series that "will be presented for the first time." Cyber Group's VP of international licensing and marketing went on to say that he is excited about the potential licensing opportunities for the series.
"It will be a great opportunity to share our upcoming plans with our licensees, agents, and new partners. Additionally, our most recently developed shows — Digital Girl, The McFire Family, Press Start! and Final Fantasy IX — will be presented for the first time. These four new series have a strong licensing appeal for different age targets," said d'Aumont.
At this time, broadcast partners have not been revealed for Final Fantasy IX, but the animated series will apparently target viewers ages 8 to 13. Understandably, that target age range has some fans a bit worried, as the original game deals with a lot of heavy subject matter. It remains to be seen how closely the show will stick to the source material, and how it might deviate from the original game.
Final Fantasy IX is widely considered one of the best entries in the series. First released back in 2000, the game debuted on the original PlayStation. Over the years, Square Enix has brought it to a number of additional platforms, including Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC. Following the more "realistic" character models used in Final Fantasy VII and VIII, Final Fantasy IX marked a return to designs closer to earlier games in the series; those designs should lend themselves well to an animated series. Hopefully, the series will bring these characters to the screen in a way that truly does them justice!
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